Saturday Bakes & Cakes: All Soul’s Day and a Traditional Soul-Cakes Recipe

Saturday Bakes & Cakes: All Soul’s Day and a Traditional Soul-Cakes Recipe

Saturday Bakes & Cakes:

All Soul’s Day and a Traditional Soul-Cakes Recipe

Saturday Bakes & Cakes: All Soul’s Day and a Traditional Soul-Cakes Recipe

November is not my favourite month, after the beauty of September and October with the bounty of harvests, crimson and yellow leaves and mellow sunny days, November always seems drab and dull to me, and it’s usually when the grey, wet and cold weather sets in too. Plus, the clocks have gone back, and although we have lighter mornings, I hate the darker and longer nights……it’s almost claustrophobic, with curtains drawn at 5 to 5:30 pm, I miss the daylight. It’s also the month of Remembrance with Armistice Day being on the 11th November and All Soul’s Day (Day of the Dead) being on the 2nd November, today as it happens, and therefore it always seems so sombre. On the run up to Remembrance Sunday last year, I decided to live off WW11 rations for a week, along with two friends Janice and Fiona, you can see my posts here: The Wartime Kitchen: Living of Rations with Ration Book Cooking……..I had planned to do the same thing this year too, but I may have to cut it back to just a couple of days as time is running out! However, I am not in a sombre mood today, as there is a glimmer of sunshine, even if it is only a weak, watery glimmer, and I have a day in the kitchen planned, it’s baking day and I plan to make pies, cakes, bread and biscuits. My first bakes for the day are these Soul-Cakes, a traditional cake-cum-biscuit which were traditionally made on All Soul’s day and distributed by the rich to the poor of the parish.

Saturday Bakes & Cakes: All Soul’s Day and a Traditional Soul-Cakes Recipe

All Soul’s Day is celebrated more in Catholic countries now, but we did used to observe it in the UK until fairly recently. It follows Halloween (Hallowe’en), or All Hallow’s Eve as it should be called, and All Saint’s Day (All Hallow’s Day – Hallow being the old English word for Saint) which is on the 1st November, a day devoted to commemorating saints and martyrs of the Christian faith. All Soul’s Day is a day where families visit their family’s graves in France, with pots of chrysanthemums, as an act of remembrance and respect, although in the UK we used to observe it more as an ancient Celtic festival called “Samhain” or “Feast of the Dead” and it as kept as fast day with bonfires lit at night, especially on high ground, in order to light the soul’s way to heaven. And that’s where Soul-Cakes come in the British culinary tradition – “Souling” would take place the night before All Soul’s day, where “Soulers” would travel from door to door begging for soul-cakes and spiced ale in return for prayers and songs.

Saturday Bakes & Cakes: All Soul’s Day and a Traditional Soul-Cakes Recipe

But back to the recipe and today, and my LOVELY new baking kit that was sent to me recently by Churchill China, whom I work with….these little cakes are more like a cross between a scone and a biscuit, and are very easy to make. They are packed with currants and are flavoured with mixed spice. The little cakes are then marked with a cross before being baked and make a simple and lovely treat for afternoon tea nowadays – and, no “souling” is needed to enjoy these today!

Churchill China Penzance Baking Pack

My lovely Penzance baking pack that I was sent as part of my ongoing partnership with Churchill China comprises:

I was thrilled to bits with my new Penzance additions and I have FOUR special posts and recipes planned to showcase the baking range, as well as a FABULOUS opportunity for my readers to win one of FOUR baking packs here:

Saturday Bakes & Cakes: All Soul’s Day and a Traditional Soul-Cakes Recipe

The rolling-pin is ceramic and is perfect for rolling pastry, keeping it cool as well as being decorative, and as well as using the little measuring cups for measuring, I also found that they are brilliant when you need to separate eggs! The flour dredger is a wonderful addition to my baking range and looks pretty as well as being practical. And, I am always in need of new tea towels……

Saturday Bakes & Cakes: All Soul’s Day and a Traditional Soul-Cakes Recipe

…..and of course I now have an airtight biscuit barrel in which to store my soul cakes too! I am sharing the recipe for Soul-Cakes below, it comes from one my favourite books of all time, Cattern Cakes and Lace; and I have featured it before on Lavender and Lovage here: St Catherine’s Day, Lace Makers and Cattern Cakes.

Cattern Cakes

That’s all for today, I hope you have a lovely weekend, and don’t forget that next week we have another British day to celebrate, Guy Fawkes Night aka Bonfire Night, and I will be cooking up some NEW Bonfire recipes over the weekend, as well as sharing some family favourites such as Bonfire Chilli with Beef, Chocolate and Pumpkin…….See you later and DO try these little soul-cakes out, they are easy to make and a real treat! Karen

Disclaimer: I received a Churchill china Penzance dinnerware service for free, in order to share and showcase the china with my readers as part of my sponsored collaboration with Churchill China. With thanks to Churchill China for sending me some further items from the Penzance range to use and review. I was not asked to write a positive review and all thoughts and opinions are my own.

These little cakes are a cross between a biscuit and a scone and are traditionally made for All Soul's Day, which is on the 2nd of November. Packed with currants and mixed spice, these lovely little cakes are delicious with an afternoon cuppa. This recipe is adapted from "Cattern Cakes and Lace".

Ingredients

175g butter (6ozs)

175g caster sugar (6ozs)

3 egg yolks

450g plain flour (1lb)

2 teaspoons mixed spice

100g currrants (4 ozs)

a little milk to mix

Note

These little cakes are a cross between a biscuit and a scone and are traditionally made for All Soul's Day, which is on the 2nd of November. Packed with currants and mixed spice, these lovely little cakes are delicious with an afternoon cuppa. This recipe is adapted from "Cattern Cakes and Lace".

Directions

Step 1

Pre-heat oven to 180C/375F/Gas mark 5.
Cream the butter and sugar together and then beat in the egg yolks, one at a time.

Step 2

Sift the flour into another bowl with the mixed spice and then add them to the butter, sugar and egg yolk mixture.

Step 3

Stir in the currants and add enough milk to make a soft dough, similar to scones.

Step 4

Roll the dough out and cut out little cakes with a biscuit cutter. Mark each cake with a cross and then place them on a greased and/or lined baking sheet.

Step 5

Bake the cakes for 10 to 15 minutes, or until golden brown.

Step 6

Cool on a wire rack and the store in an airtight tin for up to 5 days.

When these popped up on my email today I thought they looked similar to Welsh cakes – the ingredients are much the same but baked rather than griddled. They look delicious and a definite must-bake! Perfect for a wet and windy November Sunday and I like the history behind them too. Thanks for the recipe. 🙂

Love your history lessons Karen. I didn’t know about soul cakes. They sound delicious and remind me of welsh cakes, but with all those egg yolks they must be much richer. Next time I have spare egg yolks I shall have to try them.

I just love all the background information and detail you give in your recipes – so much to enjoy. I am very envious of that beautiful baking set, especially the rolling pin. I have not heard of Soul Cakes before but I shall be baking them soon – thank you!!!

Yes, indeed – November is certainly the month for baking to banish those winter blues. And these soul-cakes look perfect for cheering up a lunchbox – a perfect entry for this month’s Family Foodies challenge. Thanks so much for sharing Karen.

What a pretty cake. I think I will have to try these out, all soul’s day or not!
Sorry for the delay in visiting and doing my roundup post- but am getting it done now so thank you for linking to one ingredient.

Thanks for that change. I did mine at 200C and it was a bit hot – some of them burned around the edges before the middle was well set. I’m glad to have your professional temperature for next time. They are absolutely delicious, even if some were a bit charred.

Trackbacks

[…] this medieval practice, the poor would barter prayers for the dead in exchange for treats, often a soul cake. Souling originated in the British Isles but variations traveled south, enjoying a mention in […]

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Meet Karen

Bienvenue! I'm Karen; it’s lovely to see you here. I share my time between beautiful North Yorkshire and SW France. I am a freelance travel and food writer and recipe developer with a passion for art, travel, books, photography, seasonal food and especially cheese! Please do get in contact with me if you have any questions about my work or commissioning me. Read More…

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